Modi Launches Clean India Campaign: ‘I will not dirty the place, nor will I let it be dirtied’

In the aim of creating a ‘Swachh Bharat’ or ‘Clean India’,Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide campaign by symbolically wielding a broom, on Thursday.
To celebrate the 150th birthday of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Modi symbolically wielded a broom, spreading the mission to all Indians for creating a clean India and making it as a mass movement.
Preparations were all set in government offices as well as by BJP leaders in Delhi, to participate in the “cleanliness oath,” which was directed to be taken by all government servants on Thursday.
For launching the mission, Modi selected Valmiki Colony, which was the home for Gandhi once and swept in a small area for a minute, in the presence of party colleagues and officials.
As part of the Clean India Campaign, Modi has also flagged off the Clean India walkathon at the Rajpath. While concluding his speech after the Clean India Pledge, Modi said the slogans of ‘Mahatma Gandhi Amar Rahein’ Modi said, we should pledge today, ‘I will not dirty the place, nor will I let it be dirtied.’
Modi expressed his grief for women going in the open to relieve themselves and pointed out the need for constructing more toilets and mentioned it as ‘extremely important.’ He said not to trust him or his government but asked to trust the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.
Mentioning the success of Mars Orbiter Mission, he asked "We reached Mars. No PM or Minister went. It’s the people who did it,our scientists who did it. So can’t we create a #CleanIndia?" Modi expressed his confidence for the mission to be successful, saying, “India can do it, the people of India can do it.”
Foreseeing the criticisms that may strike him, he showed his courage, telling, “I know there will be criticism in a few days – look what happened? But I have come prepared to face that.”
Modi said that the government never tries to take the credit of Swachh Bharat campaign and also said the work is not only about a ‘prachar abhiyan.’ He added, “It is a big effort but we have a lot of time.”